The Right Side of Wrong
by macaronisofa
Summary: With Doctor Doom and Thanos finally defeated, Manhattan being rebuilt, and Loki on the throne of Asgard, all the nine realms experience a new found peace that has been absent for centuries. But when a new hand finds a little black book, Loki's new fate begins to come unraveled. Part 2 of the Little Black Book Trilogy. (LokixWanda, ThorxJane)
1. Prolouge

_Fate's funny sometimes isn't it?_

 _It was funny to Loki. And even now he could not understand how his carefully constructed plans had ended up with a conclusion such as this one. It was almost unreal, like a dream; and he had a hard time accepting his new found happiness; the new friends and a new love that surrounded, his broken family slowly mending back together._

 _Hela had told Loki his fate a long time before the events that had occurred; and he had known from the very beginning what his fate had held for him._

 _He knew he was to be defeated, to be removed from his throne, to be bound and tortured as Hela's vision had shown him; and he resigned to this fate._

 _But fate had been twisted, changed...and this was no longer the case for Loki._

 _For Loki now sits on the golden throne of Asgard;_

 _brilliant in his unique shining armor,_

 _with his brother, his lover, and his father and mother at his side._

 _The battle at Manhattan finally over, the city being reconstructed with the help of Asgardian forces, the battle now two months over. The Avengers have even come to Asgard to celebrate their victory and secure a final peace with the realm eternal..._

 _The broken realms are healing, the royal family reconnecting; long held animosity towards the races are slowly being chipped away to reveal a new, brighter future._

 _And Loki has finally begun healing as well. And he could not help but think, that maybe fate's change ad something to do with a little black book._

 _And Loki sometimes wished that he could find the book again; but he new it for naught, ,for the book had been lost._

 _But if only that were the case, as a new hand lifts a little black book, and this new fate becomes unraveled._

 _But fate's funny, isn't it?_


	2. What's the Worst That Could Happen?

The room was jovial; the fireplace across the room blazed brightly, casting a warm fiery glow throughout the ornate golden room. It was dark outside, and the sky was covered in brilliant stars and a large moon that loomed above at half light. The dancing flames cast dancing shadows across the room, and the tables and faces adorning the large banquet table the centered in the room. Loki had changed the dark red table runner,that had laid upon the large wooden table since his father began ruling, with one of a deep green.

Laying upon the table was so many ornate plates of Asgardian delicacies and Midgardian food made to cater to their guests that there were almost too many to count. A few candles also resided upon the table along with glasses that were ever filled with mead and ale, refilled consistently by servants, which their Midgardian guests enjoyed trying very much. Loki had also had the dining hall rearranged, the braziers blazing closer to the door and the fireplace lighting the rest of the room in a dancing glow; he had added a few potted plants and shrubs and had changed the previous red banners to ones of the same green as the table runner; also the same green that adorned his cape and armor. He also liked the new rug he had placed under the table, which ran the same shade of green as everything else. His father had voiced his disapproval of Loki's changing the palace colors, but he had paid the old man no mind. After all, _he_ was king now.

The room was loud, so loud in fact, that thinking was almost impossible, and the atmosphere was excessively celebratory. But for once, Loki didn't mind it, and he felt as he once had when he was a young boy, in awe and participating with the celebration activities. Loki was originally to sit at the head of the table, as Odin once had, but he had declined, deciding instead to leave his father his seat and sit as he always had, next to his brother, and at his other side sat Wanda. Across from them sat Jane and Natasha, and the rest of the Avengers scattered around the table along with Odin, Frigga, and Laufey; who they had invited as a representative of Jotunheim. And for the first time in a long time, Loki was participating in the festivities, as they all took turns sharing their separate stories of how they mowed down the Chitauri or defeated a super villain. And they had all thoroughly enjoyed Thor's dramatic retelling of their epic battle with Thanos. Loki rolled his eyes as his brother finished up his gallant retelling, leaving out certain details and exaggerating others, receiving cheers and roars from the Avengers and Sif and the Warriors Three.

"I can't believe you guys did that! Seriously, I thought you would've choked or something, but holy shit!" Tony exclaimed, raising another large Asgardian glass of ale and downing it immediately. It was already obvious that the drink was hitting him hard, and he was becoming a bit tipsy as he threw the glass down hard on the floor behind him, causing Jane to shriek in fright as he yelled, "Another! For The Man of Iron!"

Loki and Thor burst out laughing, along with pretty much everyone else at the table, all shaking their heads at Tony theatrics. It was then, as the laughter quieted down, that Loki spoke, his voice holding it's long lost jovial tone of jest, as he said, "Honestly, for a minute there I thought we _would_ die, I mean, I gave up but _Thor_ here," he motioned to his older brother, patting him on the shoulder a little to roughly, "Took most of the damage." Laughter surrounded them again, and Thor shook his head, gazing at his plate and trying to suppress a smile, his face reddening slightly in embarrassment at Loki's comment, and the God of Mischief simply pointed it out, reddening Thor's face even further as he laughed at his brother.

Wanda sat beside Loki, rather silent, as she often was, as she picked at her food delicately. All of a sudden, she really wasn't feeling well. She gazed up at Loki, who, as he was laughing at something Tony had said, smiled at her and winked, before turning back to his conversation unaware of the way she was feeling. She offered him a weak smile in return, before closing her eyes and wishing the churning in her stomach would stop. If flipped again as she caught another whiff of the chicken on her plate, and so she pushed it away, leaning back in her chair and taking a deep shaky breath.

Across the table sat Steve, leader of the Avengers, who listened intently to the stories of their previous victory, and mocking jokes of Loki's experience with the Hulk Smash. The food here was delicious, he thought, as he took another large bit of his definitely oversized plate. He was reluctant to return home tomorrow. The Avengers would soon be leaving Asgard and returning to Manhattan, where repairs to the damaged city were already under way. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents and Asgardian troops were assisting the construction crews to heavily speed up reconstruction. The only thing that kept them here until tomorrow evening was the trial that was to take place tomorrow morning. He was actually looking forward to judging the one who had dared to harm his friends and city.

Across the table the Warriors Three sat together with Sif, reunited, Fandral sitting at his normal place, long since apologized, and _forgiven_ , for his neglect of his team with lies about how Loki had had him mind controlled to cover for his obvious vanity. They were jovial now, but Hogun could not help but notice the strange behavior that Lady Sif was exhibiting this night. Instead of being her normal jovial self, and participating in their revels and drinks, she was instead reclusive, offering half-hearted smiles, and fake laughs as she glanced around herself nervously, zoning out into space and thinking about Norns know what. But whatever was on her mind, it gave Hogun a very...uneasy feeling.

Odin, Frigga, and Laufey sat at one end of the large banquet table, enjoying their meal and, after long centuries of animosity and war, finally discussed and joked about their constant bickering that now seemed foolish. Even Odin, who for so many years had been emotionless, resentful, and bitter, began enjoying the celebration like he had when he was younger, and for the first time since he was a child Frost Giants once again sat in the halls of Asgard. All was well, and it seemed that long-term peace would finally be upon them. Loki was not the King Odin had planned...or expected, but he could not deny that Loki was doing a better job than Odin had ever imagined him too. And the old king could not deny that Loki had indeed fulfilled Odin's original purpose for him, and with that he was pleased. He had finally resigned to accepting the fact that Thor would never be the king or son he had originally expected him to be, but he was proud of his son... _both_ of his sons, nonetheless.

Laufey sat mostly in silence, listening to the jabber of everyone else, but occasionally his mouth would open and he would voice his opinion on some matter or another, especially when the subject of reopening trade between Jotunheim and Asgard came up; of which, unexpectedly, he agreed upon. Frigga could not be happier either. Her husband sat beside her, gaining some of his strength back every day, although she knew he would never be the same Odin that he had once been; her sons sat at their table as brothers once again, and each of them had found love...and the most important part was that it seemed as if everyone at her table was finally finding their place in the world. She smiled a bright smile, waving her fingers, and making the light that the fire gave off sparkle in the air, with golden specks almost like snowflakes of gold.

Natasha sat next to Banner, and he turned and smiled at her brightly, with a happiness in his eyes that she hadn't ever seen. Not long after their victory over the Chitauri and Thanos, they had celebrated...well in their own way, before they made it to Asgard. And they were both happier than could be, and slowly, she slid her hand under the table, grasping his in hers, and they sat there smiling at each other like school children and she hoped no one would notice.

"Well," Thor said, taking a long pause to shove the rest of the meat from his plate into his mouth and down his throat, "It was definitely a battle to be remembered for the ages, Thor and Loki, Bane of Titans! Huzzah!" And with that he raised his glass, followed by Loki, who also shouted, "Huzzah!" and the rest of the Avengers and soon most of the table, as they down their large glasses of ail, the Avengers struggling to keep up with their Asgardian counterparts. With a gasp Thor plopped his empty glass back onto the table with a smile, followed by Loki, who then gazed over at Thor, and back to their friends, then over and Thor, and the two buzzed Asgardians burst out laughing, finding the fact that the mortals had a hard time with the drink very hilarious. But Loki had to give Tony credit, he tried, and even now he was chugging away without so much as a stop for breath; and Loki and Thor watched as his face turned red slowly as he finished, and Loki knew someone would be carrying him to his bed this night. But Loki simply laughed, shaking his head, his vision slightly blurry, as he turned his head to look at Wanda, ready to ask her how her food had been, but was surprised to find his love's chair empty, and her gone.

He gazed around the table, but when he did not spot her, he simply shrugged, assuming she had gone to the bathroom, and he turned back to immerse himself in the conversation. But what he missed was that Jane's chair sat empty too.

Wanda walked hurriedly into the bathroom, the one they used for guests which had multiple toilets, very similar but not quite the same as the ones from her home realm. She almost ran toward the first one she saw, dropping to her knees, grabbing her hair behind her, and retching everything she had just eaten into the toilet. She gasped as the first wave passed, and the tears began welling up in her eyes as the second wave hit, and another round of vomiting occurred. When the heaves finally became dry, and she sat with blurry vision on her knees with her head resting on the toilet, she heard the sound of someone else vomiting. She wiped her mouth with some toilet paper, before flushing it and the vomit down the toilet, and exiting the stall, peering curiously around the corner only to see Jane, in the same position Wanda had just occupied, retching into the toilet.

Wanda sighed, taking a deep breath, before walking up behind Jane gently and pulling the scientist's hair away from her face to make her retching a little bit easier. Jane turned to her with a start, before offering a weak smile and then immediately turning back to the toilet and continuing her sickness. After a few awkward moments of this, Jane's sickness subsided, and they both sat down on the ground breathing heavily and giggling tiredly at one another. "Well, this really sucks..." Jane mumbled, offering Wanda a weak smile. Wanda nodded in return before she asked, "Were you sick after eating too?"

"Yeah...Unfortunately." Jane's voice was heavily laced in sarcasm as she coughed dryly, standing up from the toilet alongside Wanda, flushing it and moving over to the oversized large sink and rinsing their mouths and washing off their hands. "By the way," Jane started, turning to Wanda, "Thanks for holding my hair."

"Sure, I just wished that somebody would've done that for _me_ , haha." She laughed nervously, silently thanking god that her stomach had finally stopped it's flip flopping and her nausea had mostly subsided. She then turned to Jane and asked with a curious look, "Are you sick or something? Because I was thinking maybe I caught it too."

There was a long stretch of silence, and something didn't feel right to Wanda as Jane finally spoke, voice rather shaky as she said, "No, I'm not sick I..." She fell silent once more, before she exhaled a long sigh and said in a small, barely audible voice, "I'm pregnant."

Wanda's eyes grew to an impossible size as she looked at Jane with mouth agape, "No! You're kidding?"

"I wish I was," Jane said, "But I've taken _fifteen_ tests and...I don't think they're _all_ false."

"Oh wow," Wanda breathed, and she couldn't stop herself from gazing down at Jane's belly, which appeared flat and normal, as it always was as she said, "Who's...who's is it?" She was immediately met with a glare from Jane, who rolled her eyes and shook her head saying, "It's Thor's...it has to be Thor's."

"Does he know about it?" Wanda asked, eying Jane up and down and trying to figure out how long her new friend had held this information from her. Jane simply shook her head, "No. How do you tell a God that his mortal girlfriend is pregnant with his demigod child?"

"It's not like that," Wanda said, placing a hand on Jane's shoulder to offer her comfort, "He loves you. But sooner or later," Wanda poked Jane's belly playfully, "It's going to show."

Jane laughed, shaking her head again at Wanda's teasing, before she looked up, straightening herself, and smiling at Wanda, "You're right Wanda. I need to let him know. And I will. I just have to figure out the right time...but anyway, thanks." She gave Wanda a very unexpected hug, before releasing her and exiting the restroom, heading back to the dining hall. Wanda just stood there surprised, as the bathroom door closed in front of her, wondering, if Jane was pregnant, then where had she gotten sick?

* * *

Wanda had spent more time at the dining hall, trying as hard as she could to stomach a little bit more, before she and quite a few others resigned, heading back to their respective bedrooms. She however, headed back to Loki's whose bedchamber she shared, and he had whispered to her that he would be up in a few minutes, and how he wanted to finish his talk with his brother and a few of their friends. That had been almost an hour and a half ago.

So instead she lay backward on his large green bed, staring at the tall ornate Asgardian ceiling, swinging her feet back and forth over the edge of the bed as she laid there. She had long since changed into sleeping clothes Loki's mother had given her. Nothing more that a simple dress like thing made of a wonderful scarlet color. She sighed loudly, happy that her upset stomach had receded when she heard a soft knock upon the door. She leaned up, gazing at the door with interest and wondering if she had just been hearing things. But then it happened again, just a little bit louder this time. So she sighed, rolling her eyes and standing up from her position on the bed. The floor was chilly under her bare feet, but she ignored it, instead wrapping a hand around the doorknob and opening the door.

"Oh! Natasha," Wanda said, doing her best to force a tired smile upon her face. Natasha nodded, smiling awkwardly before she said, "Hey, Wanda..."

"What's up? Something wrong?" Wanda asked, slightly perturbed by her friend's behavior. But Natasha simply shook her head, smiling at Wanda as a small blush crossed her face and she asked in a quiet voice, "I...ran out of...feminine...things...I was...wondering if...you maybe..."

" _Oh_!" Wanda finally understood what Natasha was attempting to say, and she smiled and nodded, "Yeah, yeah, just stay there I'll be right back." She then hurried off, opening the door and entering the bathroom that was connected to Loki's bedchamber. She had brought a few things with her when he had brought her here, and those were one of the things she had brought. She didn't even know what the woman of Asgard _used_...

She found her bag of toiletries sitting in the corner of the room, and she bent of and unzipped it, fishing around inside and grasping a few products from the box, smiling as she retrieved them, thinking that Natasha may get more than she even needed, after all, Wanda had surplus of them, the box wasn't even opened!"

And then it hit her. She had bought this box a month ago. And it had never been opened...Suddenly her heart was thudding in her throat, and she swallowed hard, but it only got stuck on the tight knot that had formed in her chest as her heartbeat accelerated. She took a deep breath, straightening herself and heading back to Natasha, handing her the products with a smile and saying, "Here you go. I'm sure there's more than you need there." She tried hard to keep her voice steady.

Natasha smiled back at her, taking them and tucking them into her bodysuit, gazing around to make sure no one had seen her, before saying, "Thanks Wanda, lifesaver." Wanda simply smiled as she watched Natasha take off running down the hallway, turning left...and right to Bruce's room. Wanda giggled as she shut the door, only to let out a deep sighed, and lean back against it. Suddenly she felt very weak, and the pounding in her chest returned. She needed to calm down...she thought hard, and then resigned to get herself to Jane's room as soon as possible.

* * *

Jane sat on her bed, with an open book in her lap, going over the material for her next lecture at the academy in Manhattan. She had been called in to speak for the senior science class, and she wanted to make sure all her own material was up to date. She rubbed her belly with a hand absentmindedly, thinking on how she would ever break the news to him. It almost seemed unreal, and the fact that there was something growing inside her from another planet was almost a little scary...and she was in the height of her career. A baby now could ruin everything she had planned.

It had not been something she wanted.

But at the same time, she couldn't stop the childlike wonder that enveloped her when she thought of the small baby now growing inside of her.

She finally went back to her book, but yelped in fright as her door burst open, and Wanda ran inside, slamming it behind herself and rushing over to Jane, shouting a thousand different words and gripping Jane's hands tightly. After she finally got her shocked mind to respond, she said, "Calm down, Wanda! What's going on?"

"Do you...have any more of those tests?" Wanda asked in a sheepish voice, all the excitement and fight drawn out of her.

"Yes," Jane drawled with an eyebrow raised, "Over in my bag." Wanda was off the bed in a moment, rushing over and digging through a shocked Jane's bag, before grabbing one and yelling, "Thank you!" As she took off out of the room, stuffing the small box into her night dress.

"Wonder what that's about."

"What was that about?"

Jane knew who it was immediately, and looked up startled as Thor walked into the room, Mjolnir at his side like always, face slightly reddened with drink and a curious look on his face. Jane shook her head as she answered, "Nothing, just Wanda needing to borrow some...stuff."

"What stuff?" He inquired.

"Feminine...stuff." She hoped her answer would stave off any further questioning, and as she predicted, it did. "Oh," Was all the more answer she received, before he sauntered over, grabbing the book from her and lifting it away, setting on the bedside table next to her, leaning over a placing a kiss to her lips as he whispered, "I was thinking that maybe I could stay here tonight?"

Jane giggled delightedly, kissing him back and saying, "That sounds alright to me."

* * *

Wanda paced back and forth along the width of the bathroom, casting an occasional glance over to the pink tipped stick that rested on the side of the bath. She counted silently in her head, trying her best to ignore the pounding of her own heartbeat as her pace quickened. When she finally reached zero she stopped, gazing with a glare at the stick, focusing all of her emotions upon it.

She really didn't want to approach, but she did anyway, walking slowly up toward, it, before closing her eyes, and reopening them, gazing down at the little box upon the stick.

And a plus sign stared back at her.

Suddenly she felt like sitting down, and she almost did, but instead she reached out, picking up the stick and trying to get her mind to wrap itself around this monumental discovery. She then gazed down at her belly, placing a hand on it, and then she was hit with a joy and wonder she had never experienced before.

"Hi, baby." She whispered to her belly.

And then she looked back at the plus sign still present upon the stick. And then she let out a small shriek that she just could not contain.

"Something wrong?"

She shrieked again, whipping around and holding the stick behind her in clasped hands, "Nothing!" She said, a little louder than intended, before smiling and sighing loudly, "You startled me."

"Oh, apologies then I do have a habit of doing that." Loki smirked, turning around and gazing at her out of the corner of his eye, and she had a hard time believing he had scared her on accident as he said, "When you're finished meet me in bed."

"Okay." She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as Loki closed the bathroom door behind him, and she was silently thankful that he hadn't seen what she was holding. She quickly stuff the test stick all the way down to the bottom of her toiletries bag, and then straightened up, taking a deep breath, smoothing out her nightdress, her hand lingering a little bit longer upon her belly, before she turned to open the door and join her God of Mischief in bed.

* * *

The morning had been pleasant enough, and Norns knew that Loki had woken up in a considerably better mood than usual. Breakfast had been slightly rushed much to his chagrin, and he couldn't help but still feel a little hungry as he sat upon the golden throne. The Avengers, and the Warriors Three were just some of the few that lined the sides of the throne room; his father, mother, and brother lined the steps next to the throne, and Wanda stood at his side. And before them in chains and guarded by Einherjar, where Loki himself had once stood before the Allfather, was Thanos.

The Titan was wrapped in chains, as Loki had once been. A chain that saps and locks away seidr wrapped around his neck securely, and then others strapped to his wrists and ankles. The guards held tight to the chains, exchanging nervous glances. But Loki was not nervous. He sat in his signature position on the throne, with a wide smile on his face and his scepter grasped gently in his hand. When the shuffling of chains finally ceased, he sighed, glancing around the room, before he spoke, voice ringing out loud and clear and echoing throughout the large chamber.

"Thanos, the Mad Titan, of the Titan Moon," He paused, almost for effect, trying to keep himself from giggling, "You have committed crimes against the nine realms, and all it's inhabitants." He then stopped for a moment trying to recall exactly what his crimes were, before he spoke again. "You are being accused of the crimes of a war criminal and terrorism. I ask of you, do you understand the gravity of the crimes you have committed?"

Thanos was silent for a very long time, before he answered in a tone tat was filled with nothing but contempt, "Yes, I understand what I have done."

"Good," Loki said, laughing dryly and smiling, "Then you understand those crimes are punishable by death."

The color immediately drained from the Titan's face, as his eyes widened and a hushed, "What," escaped his lips. Loki just smiled even wider, thoroughly enjoying toying with the Titan, as he was no longer a threat to him any more. Loki laughed, "Yes, in Asgard, war crimes and terrorism is punishable by death. Public hanging, specifically... _Or_ ," he laughed deviously, "sometimes we throw the criminals into 'the arena' against whatever we decide." He then leaned forward in his chair, and asked, "Which one sounds more appealing to you?"

Thanos swallowed hard, gazing at the floor and swallowing his want to ask for mercy. Instead he said in a monotone, "Neither of those sounds truly appealing... _my lord_." The last part was a venomous hiss.

"Ah," Loki agreed, nodding in agreement, "Very true, neither of those sounds very appealing now do they? But honestly, why would I offer you mercy, when you did not do the same for me?" He inhaled deeply, casting Thanos a gaze that said, 'you-know-what-I'm-talking-about'. The Mad Titan simply stayed silent, casting his steely gaze to the floor. After a few moments of trying hard to to burst out laughing in childish glee, for it really felt as if he were playing 'king' atop his father's throne, he stood, lifting his scepter with him and then setting it down with a metallic sound that echoed loudly, and Loki saw as the Titan winced at the sound. Loki got quite a lot of enjoyment from watching the larger than life shadow of himself and his horned helmet cast upon the ground to his right, and he almost giggled to himself in glee at how foreboding it looked. But he soon refocused upon the task and hand, sighing and saying to the Titan, "But, it was not merely me that you have wronged, for Midgard was you're first target."

Thanos opened his mouth as if he wished to object, but then closed it in silence; resigning to listening to Loki finish his speech. "So, because I happen to be a lot nicer than _you_ ," he motioned with his head toward the Mad Titan, "I shall not pass such harsh judgment. You are hereby banned from Asgard and Jotunheim, and the rest of the nine realms. I label you ostracized, exiled from all the nine realms, and if you are caught stepping foot in any, of my domain, you will be brought to Asgard for public execution. As for now, you will face no more punishment in Asgard."

Thanos let out a breath he'd been holding, and Loki watched as his face lit up just a tiny little bit and he said, "Thank you, King, for your mercy. I appreciate-"

"Oh, no, no, no, I think you misunderstand." Loki interrupted, earning a confused hum from Thanos, who's brows knitted together as he looked up at Loki questioningly, as a mischievous smile crossed the God's face, "I said you will face no punishment... _in Asgard_." He nodded his head as if to indicate that Thanos was understanding, "However," He paused for effect, chuckling out loud this time without taking any bother to hide it, "You will be shipped of to Midgard, to be held in S.H.I.E.L.D maximum security prison, where the citizens of _that_ realm, will decide what to do with you. I make no promises that _they_ , will not decide to kill you."

Loki then smiled a charming smile, turning his head in the direction of Nick Fury, who had just arrived via Bifrost, and was waiting to take his team and the Titan back to Midgard; "He's all yours, Mr. Fury. Take him away and ensure he does not return. I would so _hate_ to have to _kill_ him... _publicly_." He then smiled again, turning around and sitting heavily back into his seat with a sigh, "Now that that is taken care of, I say we see off our friends." He waved his hands, gazing around at the Avengers and standing once more.

Thanos simply stood in the middle of the room, utterly shocked, and as he was being drug away by Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D operatives he screamed, " **You can't do this to me! I am Thanos, the Mad Titan! Mere mortals do not decide my punishment!** "

Loki simply laughed in amusement, and received a raised eyebrow from Thor, to which he responded, "What? Am I honestly the only one who is amused by this? Or am I the only one who doesn't care enough to hide it?"

There was some laughter from the rest of the Avengers, and then Tony stepped out and asked, "Hey, Loki?"

"What?"

"Where'd you get that scepter? It seriously looks a lot like the one I had in my lab..."

Steve sighed loudly shaking his head, "For Christ sakes Tony, that _is_ your fucking scepter!"

"NO!" Tony shook his head adamantly, "It is not! Because _that_ one has a _stone_." He exclaimed indignantly, and with that he turned and walked out of the room defiantly, leaving everyone shaking their heads and sighing at his stupidity.

Thor simply shook his head as they exited the palace. It took quite awhile for them to arrive at the observatory, for they did so on foot to walk with their guests, and Loki watched from his position beside Heimdal as they all said their goodbyes. After a few moments of watching, Loki turned to Heimdal and said, "So, old gatekeeper," Loki smiled as he gazed into the watcher's yellow eyes, "Do you still think of me as evil?"

Heimdal simply shook his head and replied, "No sir." There was a long pause before he said again, "I think of you as worse then evil. An evil that _conforms_." And then they laughed together, something that Heimdal and Loki had never done, considering the watchers wariness and distrust of the trickster. Loki simply patted the gatekeeper on the back as he descended toward his friends, stopping to shake hands as they were heading out. Loki stopped at Fury, shaking his hand and saying, "Consider Midgard formally an ally of Asgard, and under the protection of the realm eternal...As long as I rule."

"We appreciate that Loki. I'm glad to see you've turned around."

"Me too."

They then exchanged nods, before a yell from Thor turned his attention to his brother, who had Jane in his arms and was spinning her round and round, laughing with such a large smile on his face, Loki was sure that his cheeks would split. He waked over with a raised brow as he asked, "What's all the excitement about?"

"Brother!" Thor gripped him by the shoulders, the smile never leaving his face as he said, "I have most exciting news!"

"Well?" Loki asked, rolling his eyes sarcastically, "I just asked what it was. What is it?"

"Jane is carrying!"

The room went silent so suddenly you could hear the sound of a pin drop, and every gaze in the room went turning towards them. Loki's eyes widened in surprise, before he tried to cover it smoothly by asking, "Oh? I already know this."

Thor's face contorted into a mask of confusion, "What do you mean, Loki?"

"I mean I already know..." He smiled evilly, "Because it's mine!"

Thor's face immediately shifted from surprise to rage his mouth opened and closed several times as his gaze shifted from Jane to Loki, and then his fist reeled back for a punch and Loki immediately took it back, laughing and giggling and putting his hands up in defense, "I'm kidding! I was just kidding!"

The two brother's stared at each other for a few long awkward moments, and for a moment Loki thought that perhaps Thor would punch him anyway, but then his brother burst out into laughter, and Loki nervously followed suit.

Thor then turned his attention back to Jane, lathering her with kisses and whispers of affection, and Loki didn't think he had ever seen his brother so ecstatic. Wanda watched from afar, long since having said her quiet goodbyes and a tear filled hug with her brother. Her hand brushed her abdomen absentmindedly, and she wondered if Loki would have such a reaction to her news as well. But she was not as brave as Jane. After all, Loki was not only the new King of Asgard. He was a former villain, the God of Mischief. She did not even know how he might react to such news...and although she did not fear him, tales of his cruelty had her wondering if maybe he would try to harm her, or the child, if he decided he did not want them.

After all, they were not even married.

But then again, neither were Thor and Jane.

Loki then asked, "So Thor, what of this? What do you plan to do?"

Thor stepped away from Jane, casting her a smile as he turned to his younger brother and said, "Well what any man of Asgard would do. I shall marry her, and she shall live here." He stopped for a moment, before sighing and saying rather sheepishly, "If that is all right with you, that is..."

Loki rolled his eyes and smiled, shaking his head and saying, "Just because I bare the title King does not mean I am no longer Loki. I would do no such thing as to keep you two apart. I care not if she resides."

"Thank you brother!"

Before Loki could react he was swept into a bone crushing hug, and the awkwardness and discomfort that came with it made him squirm and squiggle, bringing a blush to his cheeks as he commanded, "Put me down, Thor!" as if he were a child. After Thor did as commanded, Loki feigned irritation and brushed himself off, before straightening his armor and saying, "No be done with it then. Shall I assume you two will be soon..." What he meant was getting married, but he dare not say it in front of everyone around them. Thor nodded eagerly, once again smiling from ear to ear, and Loki could not help but think how much of a bumbling fool his brother was.

"Alright, I thank you all for coming, and a bode you all a farewell. We shall see you all soon." Loki said, as he turned to exit the observatory as the Avengers and the rest of the Midgardians, all save Jane and Wanda, turned and left out through the Bifrost. Now that there guests were gone, Loki had quite a few important things to do. He remembered that he still needed to finish establishing trade between Jotunheim and Asgard, and he also remembered that the Queen of Vanaheim had wanted an audience with him. She had called for him not long after they had returned from their battle in Manhattan. She had sent a messenger in her stead, and upon the letter the man read from was her asking him to come meet her in her palace, along with quite a few innuendos about how handsome he was and how she liked how he had taken the throne and united the realms.

Obviously, Wanda had disliked her immediately.

But Loki couldn't blame her. Loki himself didn't particularly like her either, but Vanaheim was not yet established as a solid ally of Asgard. And it was on his to-do list. He sighed loudly, turning toward Thor and Jane who were cooing to each other and whispering excitedly about the good news. "So, go set your woman up in the bedchambers, and I will see to it that she has a proper citizenship shortly." He had long since given Wanda hers.

"Thank you, brother."

Loki waved him off with a flick of his wrist ,but called out as they walked down the rainbow bridge and back to the palace, "Also, you might want to consider telling Mother. You know how she is about these things!" He waited for a response, but received nothing but a playful snort, and in response he smirked and shook his head; Wanda's voice roused him from his thoughts however as she felt her hand grasp his arm gently as she said, "I cannot believe that they are expecting. I found out from Jane just yesterday."

"I can scarcely wrap my head around it either...I honestly pray for the child, having my brother as a father."

"I am sure he will do fine." Wanda reassured, the grip on his arm tightening just slightly as he sighed and said, "He...probably will. They are happy together at least. I look forward to arranging the unity." He turned to Wanda who had a rather put out look on her face, and with a playful smile he whispered to her, "And I'm sure you'd love to help plan and design also, am I right?"

Her eyes lit up immediately, and she smiled at him, nodding her head furiously and exclaiming, "Oh yes, it would be beautiful. With splashes of red and beautiful flowers and-"

"Yes, yes, calm down now we haven't even got that far yet." He admonished, grasping her hand in his as he nodded a goodbye to Heimdal as they headed back toward Asgard and the palace.

* * *

Thor walked into the library, fingering the small box that sat awkwardly in his pocket, his heart in his throat and a joy he had never felt before coursing through him along with adrenaline as he took a seat across from Jane at a small table in the library, and he watched her read with a fascination. Her face was so beautiful and he could not understand how he could possibly care for someone this much, for the only person who had ever occupied his heart as Jane did was Loki.

She looked up at him as she caught him staring, and he blushed as he looked away toward the floor asking, "How do you enjoy the library? I see you are rather fascinated...much like my brother."

Jane nodded, closing the book in front of her as a large smile crossed her face, "It's amazing! There is so much knowledge here I couldn't hope to read it all! I mean...it's great."

Thor nodded and smiled, "Good, I'm glad you like it. But I did not come here just to stare. I came to talk about our future."

Jane sat in silence for a long time, gazing at the table in front of her with a look of less than happy, and Thor's heart did a little flip as she looked back up at him, the absence of a smile making his heart begin thudding as she said, "I don't know what we're going to do. I mean, a baby is amazing but..." Thor grasped her hand from across the table, holding it endearingly in his as he moved from his chair, bent down on one knee, reached into his pocket and presented her with small ring; a plain golden band with ornate carvings upon it, and a large ruby resting in the center, "You will stay here in Asgard, you will become like us, and we will raise our child in the ways of the warrior! We'll have the marriage ceremony and you will live here in Asgard with me as my wife and the mother of my children...forever."

Thor watched as Jane's eyes widened considerably, and her brows knitted together, and then to his horror she began shaking her head, removing her hand from his as she leaned back in her chair and said in a cold voice laced with sadness, "Thor, I can't stay here forever."

He thought his heart just stopped.

She continued, "I have to go back to earth; I have a career, a passion, friends! I just received a Nobel prize for my research! I can't just run off and get married and never come back!"

He felt his heart crack down the middle.

"I wasn't ready for this...I didn't want this...not...not now..."

He felt his heart shatter in his chest.

And then Jane stood, and left the library, leaving the God of Thunder kneeling alone on the floor, wondering how he was going to fit all the pieces of his heart back together.

* * *

"Mother," Loki called to his mother as she sat in the healing room, attending to a sick child, whom, with a wave of her hands, his cough disappeared. The mother thanked Frigga happily, before pulling the child from the room. Frigga then turned to her youngest son, who stood in the doorway, leaning on the door frame with arms crossed and a smile on his face. She returned it, rolling her eyes at his antics as she said, "What is it, Loki?"

Loki moved away from the door, following her as she whisked a tray of herbs away from the seat where the child had once occupied. "I came to ask if you had heard the news of my brother, yet?" There was a perpetual silence as Frigga smile and said, while dropping some herbs that Loki identified as Vanir yellow petals into a bowl, "Yes. In fact he was here not fifteen minutes ago."

"I see," Loki drawled, assisting her by adding an ingredient he knew she had overlooked while her back was turned, "He is very excited." Frigga nodded her head in agreement, turning back to the table and grinding her mixture to a paste, "Too excited I am afraid of. He holds a courtship gift for her. He showed it to me before he left to give it too her. I tried to tell him that he might smother her, but the did not listen."

"He was always rash in his decisions, you know this."

"Of course I do," She said, adding some milk and honey to her paste to add some flavor, "I am his mother, do you think I would not remember these things?" They both laughed together as Loki watched her hand twirled around the bowl as she mixed, and he sighed again and stated in more of a statement than a request for approval, "I have already gave Jane permission to stay in Asgard for safekeeping. I plan to give her citizenship as I did with Wanda...if she wishes it, however."

Frigga never once looked up from her work as she said, "It was the right thing to do...But as I said I fear he may be smothering her. Learning you are with child is a heavy weight to learn to carry..."

"I felt as if the oaf may be rushing things also...but he means well, I know he does." Loki sighed, reaching out and taking the glass full of Frigga's mixture as she handed it too him and ordered, "Drink."

Loki made a face, and Frigga smacked him on the head playfully, and he giggled as he down the okay-but-not-great tasting mixture. He set the glass back down at her workstation, and turned and hugged her. She gasped in surprise, as he said, "I love you, mother," and then released her heading toward the door. He stopped at the entryway and glanced back at her, sticking his tongue out toward her. Frigga laughed in response, waving him off as she said, "Go on, get out of here."

Loki laughed as he left, none to excited to get back to planning his trip to Vanaheim. He crossed the palace halls quickly, and entered the meeting room quietly. Odin, his newly appointed adviser, and the messenger from Vanaheim sat quietly at the table, speaking in hushed tones, that quieted the moment Loki arrived. The God of Mischief simply rolled his eyes, taking his seat on the table, appreciating the way his helmet cast an eery shadow across the room. He sighed loudly and obnoxiously, earning a roll of the eyes from Odin as he shifted in his chair to get comfortable, dropping his arms on the table loudly and exclaiming in a voice just a tad too loud, "Alright then, when do you need me to get to Vanaheim, and what do I have to do!?"

The servant across from him widened his eyes, no doubt having heard many scary things about the God of Mischief, staring at Loki's helmet and armor and Loki appreciated fully the look of fear upon the young man's face as he stuttered, "We'd like to have, have, you in Vanaheim as, as soon as to-today."

Loki glanced over with a raised brow toward Odin, who sat in the chair beside him, his cane resting on the table. Odin simply nodded in confirmation, and Loki sighed saying, "Alright then, if I arrange to meet with your Queen, let's say over a dinner? She would be most receptive?"

The servant nodded once more, "She was v-very adamant about ge-getting you here as so-soon as possible, my King."

Loki smiled widely, no longer able to hide the amusement this man's fear was causing him, "Okay then!" He stood up, slamming his palms on the table and laughing, "You tell her I'll be there at dinnertime!" And with that, he turned and exited the room with a flourish of his cape, closing the door behind himself and feeling the eyes that seared into him. Once he was out of earshot, he laughed hysterically as he walked toward the throne room to find Wanda, and he received many strange looks from others who may have thought he'd gone mad. But he didn't care, it did nothing but amuse him. When he did find Wanda, quite a little bit later, he found her at the top of the palace, looking out over all of Asgard from the balcony. He snuck up behind her quietly, waiting until he was right behind her to ask, "Tis' a nice view, is it not?"

He stepped backward as she whirled around and screamed in fright, before seeing him, face changing to an angry red as she said, pushing him roughly in the chest, "Don't _do_ that!"

Loki put his hands up in defense, trying his best to talk between laughs, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry!"

Wanda glared for a moment, before she smiled also and answered, "And yes, it is a beautiful view."

They stood together for a few moments, enjoying each others company and the view of the realm before Loki stated, "I'm leaving to see the Queen of Vanaheim in a little while. I'll be returning late in the night." He turned his head and looked down at her, and he watched as her her brows lowered and her face scrunched up in anger, which surprised him to say the least. Wanda then turned to him angrily and asked, "What? You're leaving, _alone_ , to see the Queen of Vanaheim, for _dinner_?!"

Loki was immediately confused and aghast at her reaction as he said, taking a few steps back, "Well, yes! I was hoping to secure a permanent alliance with her realm! That is all my love I swear to you! No other reason," Loki was quite to turn up the charm, grasping her hands, which were beginning to emanate a red glow, in his, grasping them by the wrist and pulling her into him, moving his arms and holding her close. After a moment he felt her stiff body loosen, as she sighed and looked up at him with eyes that conveyed worry, "Alright. I trust you."

"Good," He leaned down and planted a kiss on her scarlet lips, "I shall return before I am even missed."

Wanda still did not like it, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of almost unreasonable jealousy, but she sighed and released him, turning her back to him and looking out at the golden building surrounded the palace as she said, "You'd better hurry then if you're going to make it back that fast. I'm holding you too it." She turned and offered him a small smile, before turning away again.

"Alright, I love you Wanda. I shall return." Loki turned away from her, an uneasy feeling tugging at his heart and he knew she was unhappy with him. But he knew she honestly had nothing to worry about.

What was the worst that could happen?


End file.
